


These Moments Inbetween

by silverstardust



Series: The Trails Which We Leave Behind [9]
Category: Mumintroll | Moomins Series - Tove Jansson, 楽しいムーミン一家 | Moomin (Anime 1990)
Genre: Baby Snusmumriken | Snufkin, Beaches, Cant believe i forgot to add tags, Cat Parent Joxaren | The Joxter, Cultural Dances, Deleted Scenes, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Good Parent Joxaren | The Joxter, Nightmares, Original Culture, Original Mythology, Snusmumriken | Snufkin Has Paws and a Tail, Snusmumriken | Snufkin is a Cat, Spirits, hinted ptsd
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-09
Updated: 2020-06-09
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:02:30
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,716
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24085558
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/silverstardust/pseuds/silverstardust
Summary: The deleted scenes, bloopers, and musings of the series "Trails We Leave Behind".--Sometimes "kill your darlings" doesn't mean killing off your characters, but removing scenes or ideas that weren't working out at all, or don't fit as they should. However, I've kept these scenes and still consider them canon to the series, so here they are, for your viewing pleasure!--July 30, 2020 Update: A heavily edited version of this story is in the works for publication. Any publication of this story or a story similar is authorized.
Relationships: Joxaren | The Joxter/Muminpappan | Moominpappa
Series: The Trails Which We Leave Behind [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1495559
Comments: 9
Kudos: 53





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I totally bombed a science test and decided to work on this to feel better lmao!  
> This is the prototype scene that inspired the entire series in June 2019! Originally, Under the Beam of the Lighthouse was going to be from Joxter's POV, and the very first scene I wrote was the one where Moomin comforted Joxter from a nightmare and invited to share a bed. Since this is the original unedited scene, the dialogue and actions are different, and I know it's not a whole lot right now, but enjoy this while I prepare the rest of the deleted scenes!

Joxter had found the air below the deck stifling, the quiet noises of their sleeping companions too loud, and had fled to above to get away from the sensory overload. He was trying to calm his breath, with some breathing exercise he had learned long ago from a stranger, but it was difficult. His head was pounding with doomdoomdoom, and there was a sour feeling in his stomach, like spoiled milk was curdling inside it. Everything was too much and not enough, all at once.

Fireflies flickered in the distance, on the banks of the river where they had stopped for the night, the ground rich and almost swampy, oddly shaped animals swimming through the murky water that made him more than hesitant to dip his toes in.

The hatch in the deck creaked, alerting him someone was coming, and Joxter raised his head. Moomin’s head poked up from below deck, rubbing his eyes.

“Joxter?”

“Didn’t mean to wake you,” Joxter muttered.

Moomin shook himself slightly, ruffling up his fur before he climbed back above deck and approached the railing, leaning against it with a large, tired yawn.

“Can’t sleep?”

“Had a nightmare.”He hadn’t dreamed of shouting or broken bottles for a few years.

“You know you could’ve just woken one of us up, right?” Moomin asked him sleepily.

Joxter paused, face screwing up in confusion. “Why’d I do that? You guys can sleep, so I shouldn’t bother you. I can deal with my problems on my own.”

“But you don’t have to.”

Joxter stepped away from the railing, a step back from Moomin, shoving his hands into his pockets to hide the shaking as he peered into Moomin’s face. Moomin sleepily stared back at him, eyes slightly dazed, and Joxter wasn’t sure what he was looking for.

“You can sleep with me if you want? I know you don’t like talking about stuff, but surely sleeping together would help you rest, right? I usually fall asleep faster, at least.”

“You know what? Sure. It couldn’t hurt.” Joxter looked away from Moomin, unable to keep the eye contact going. Moomin tiredly gestured for Joxter to follow him back below deck, and after Moomin had already disappeared below, he hesitantly followed.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A scene from Snufkin's childhood, around when he was about three. After Cherry Wine, but before Where The Cypress Tree Grew. Because of the time gap, I never got this scene to work, but it always made feel fuzzy.
> 
> Baby Snufkin meets the ocean and learns to hula.

The early morning breeze was gentle, carrying the smell of salt upon it, tickling his nose. The ground beneath his paws was weak, shifting underneath him with every step as he stumbled forward, trying to keep his balance. It was dry at first, when he was first set down to explore, but now it was wet, sticking to his paws and clumping between his toes. Shaking his paws sent the clumps flying, but some still persisted in sticking into his fur. As he tumbled through the shifting ground, the curious roaring he'd heard before kept getting louder, and as he got closer, Papa followed, blue eyes glowing in the dark.

Tumbling over the last dune, Snufkin blinked as he saw the ground turn blue in front of him. He stopped, turning to Papa and pointing.

"That's the ocean," came the rough, grumbly voice, and Snufkin turned back to look at 'the ocean' again. Pulled along by curiosity, he chose his steps carefully down the dune, and Papa followed behind him.

The roaring noise was water! Snufkin darted back a few steps as the water rushed to touch him, and behind him Papa laughed, placing a big hand on his back to keep him steady. Snufkin squawked with indignation- he hadn't gotten dirty at all! There was no need for Bathtime!

But Papa didn't force him into the water, just holding him steady. Instead he laughed again, crouching down behind him. "Don't worry, this isn't Bathtime water. This is water you play in." Papa leaned forward, splashing his hand in the water that moved back and forth, like it was waving to them. Snufkin took a few hesitant steps to the water, letting it wash over his paws. It was cold, much colder than the play water by Home or bathtime water, but it felt nice, and he knew Papa wouldn't let him near it if it was bad.

Snufkin took a few more steps into the water, letting it splash against his ankles. Papa stayed close, one hand reached out just in case, but when he was content to kick the water, Papa sat down behind him, letting the water splash him.

Snufkin pointed inquisitively to the ocean again.

"Yes, it's very large," Papa agreed, "It goes for a long time. But on the other side is more places and people."

Snufkin pointed again.

"Papa and Mama came from across the ocean. From a very faraway city."

Snufkin grinned, toddling over and sitting down in Papa's lap. Papa laughed, ruffling his hair.

"I see now. You wanted story time, did you?" Papa looked to The Ocean, and looked a little sad, so Snufkin cuddled into him, and Papa began Story Time.

"Papa used to travel with Uncle Moomin and Uncle Muddler," Papa said. "We liked to explore a lot of places, like you, but much farther away places. We rode a boat, and one time, we found a very friendly island. Everyone was so friendly we decided to stay a while, and we went to a party hosted by a king. That's where we found your mama, and she decided to be our friend and explore with us. So we kept exploring until we found this perfect valley." Papa sighed and looked sad again, so Snufkin dug his tiny hands into Papa's coat and hugged him.

"I'm okay," Papa said, gently patting Snufkin's back. "Papa just hasn't traveled in a long time." He gently pulled Snufkin by the scruff of his neck. "Look, Snufkin. Say good morning to the sun."

Snufkin turned his head to look at the sunrise, waving to it.

"Some people across the ocean taught Papa a dance to say good morning to the sun. Would you like to help me?"

Snufkin nodded, so Papa stood up, and Snufkin did too. Papa turned slightly, holding his arms out. Slowly, Papa stepped side to side in small steps, waving his hands like he was waving back to The Ocean. Snufkin giggled, trying to copy him, and that made Papa laugh too.

The sun slowly came up, so Snufkin thought it must really like their dance.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I ramble about Cypress, Micheal, and the Painted Lady, how they were created, and what they're supposed to mean.

Cypress is originally brought up in Under the Beam of the Lighthouse as a story, and then "appears" in Where the Cypress Tree Grows and Trails We Leave Behind Us. The motif of a cypress tree pops up multiple times as well. Cypress started as a dream I had, where my own consciousness kept bouncing between Joxter and Snufkin as they attempted to hide from a gnarled tree monster. From there, Cypress just kinda kept popping up in my head and I kept mulling it over and made Cypress and Micheal into a sorts of creation myth, but that's not all I created them to do. I also used them as an illusion for Snufkin and Joxter in the series, foreshadowing Snufkin's disappearance and the eight years Joxter spent looking for him. Whether the original Cypress is real, or still alive if he is real, I kinda left vague, up to people's imaginations. My personal theory is that he IS real, and that Joxter DID run into him, but sometimes I like to see what the readers come with. But the idea of A Cypress existing is real. 

I'm not sure if I ever got to heavily clarify it, but similar to how someone can turn invisible from abuse or turn into a Groke from uncontrolled sadness, mumriks can turn into a Cypress. Mumrik culture revolves around respecting nature and living in harmony with it, not wanting to leave a footprint behind as they travel and enjoy the world, and, although it's clarified in Dromomania but not the actual Trails series, the idea around death for mumriks is that they're returning to the nature they were born from- "ceasing to exist, atoms scattered back into the world, into the universe, to become something new, something different, that he had not been once before". This belief is what keeps grieving mumrik parents, who've lost their children to unknown circumstances like Joxter, from turning into icy grokes but rather into a Cypress- bark growing from their bodies and overtaking them until they become a being of living wood. One of the Cypress appearances shows this in Like Flooding Waters, although subtly, through a description of rotting fabrics scraps ensnared in the bark. In a deleted scene, when the Cypress reaches out for Snufkin, the dream continued a little longer, and the Cypress ruffled Snufkin's hair, and Snufkin calls it 'dad' before he wakes up. In another deleted scene, Joxter tells Snufkin directly about the Cypress curse and how he fought turning into one for years. But I found those a little too dark, and removed them, replacing them with what's been posted. I'm not sure if I'll post those.

As for the Painted Lady, I figured the creation myth needed to be more fleshed out, since ever creation myth has always had an "Adam" and an "Eve". The Painted Lady was created to fulfill the role of "Eve", with some inspiration taken from Avatar; The Last Airbender, with Katara's personification of a similarly named diety. The Painted Lady serves as another diety to mumriks, and the closest thing I can compare it to is being considered a "saint". She's the patron and guardian of all mumrik children as mentioned in Where The Cypress Tree Grew, as the mother to all mumriks. Praying to her is a prayer of safety or protection, or for a child to return home safely. Originally, in Trails We Leave Behind Us, Miette/The Painted Lady disappeared while walking into the town with Snukin, right before Snufkin ran into Luulitikka and Signias, and rather than reappearing in his dream, The Painted Lady appeared to Moomin instead the on Midsummer Night, heralding Snufkin's safe return. Originally, she didn't talk either.

That's pretty much it for my rambling about these three. There's not much else to mention about them, so I hope you enjoyed my rambling. I hope to be updating super soon with another baby Snufkin scene.


End file.
